The University of Washington will receive $3 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to establish two endowed chairs in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering.

“The Bill and Melinda Gates Chairs in Computer Science will dramatically enhance our ability to recruit and retain distinguished faculty,” says Professor Ed Lazowska, head of the department. “We’re grateful to Bill and Melinda Gates, and to the Foundation, for this important investment in our future.”

“The Department of Computer Science & Engineering is one of the jewels of the University of Washington,” says UW President Richard L. McCormick. “It is one of our strongest graduate and research programs, ranked among the top ten in the nation. It is also a model for integrating research and teaching. The department’s outreach activities, ranging from K-12 to entrepreneurship, have enormous impact on our region. This gift comes at a critical time in the history of the department, when faculty recruitment and retention are increasingly challenging, and when creating new facilities for the department is the University’s top priority for capital fundraising.”